Airport Transfers in Colombia 2026 — Getting From the Airport to Your Destination

You landed in Colombia. Now what? Most Colombian airports are not where you think they are — Medellín's international airport is 45 minutes away in Rionegro, Cali's is in Palmira. If you haven't already, set up an eSIM or local SIM card so you have data for rideshare apps and maps. This guide covers how to get from each airport to the city center, bus terminals, and popular onward destinations.

Medellín: José María Córdova (MDE) — Rionegro

Combuses shuttle bus: 17,000 COP ($4.50) to San Diego mall/downtown. Accepts Cívica card or Metro App. Every 15 min.
Colectivo (shared taxi): 28,000 COP ($7.30) per person to city center
Official white taxi: 132,000 COP ($34) fixed rate — available 24/7 at the lower level arrivals hall. Electric taxis 134,100 COP, luxury 143,100 COP.
Uber/InDrive: $25-30 USD, 30-45 min via Túnel de Oriente (opened 2019, cut travel time in half)

Connecting to Popular Destinations

Guatapé: Terminal del Norte (Caribe metro), buses every 30-60 min, 24,000 COP ($6.30), 2 hours. Tip: Rionegro is actually closer to Guatapé than Medellín — private transfer direct from airport ~205,000 COP.
Jardín: Terminal del Sur, buses ~50,000 COP, 3-4 hours
Santa Fe de Antioquia: Terminal del Norte, ~30,000 COP, 1.5 hours

Medellín: Olaya Herrera (EOH) — Domestic

Airlines: EasyFly and SATENA only
Destinations: Apartadó, Quibdó, Nuquí, Bahía Solano, Manizales, Pereira, Armenia, Bucaramanga, Montería, Cartagena
Useful for: Pacific coast beaches (Nuquí and Bahía Solano have NO road access — fly or don't go)
Transport: You're already in the city. Uber or taxi to anywhere in Medellín in 10-20 min.

Pereira: Matecaña (PEI) — Coffee Region Gateway

Unlike Medellín's international airport, Matecaña is inside Pereira city limits. You can be at the bus terminal in 15 minutes and on a bus to Salento within the hour.

Taxi to bus terminal: 15-25 min, 25,000-35,000 COP
To Salento: taxi from airport ~1 hour, 140,000-150,000 COP ($32-35). OR bus terminal → bus just over 1 hour, 11,000 COP ($2.50), departures roughly hourly 6:30am-7:30pm. Shared shuttles $10-15 USD per person.
To Filandia: taxi 50 min direct. Bus terminal → hourly bus ~1hr.
To Santa Rosa de Cabal (hot springs): taxi 30 min, or bus terminal → bus 40 min
To Manizales: bus terminal → Expreso Palmira every 15 min, 1h 30m, 15,000-25,000 COP
To Armenia: bus terminal → bus 20 min

Bogotá: El Dorado (BOG)

Official taxi line: metered, ~20 min to city center in normal traffic
TransMilenio: free Alimentador feeder bus (Ruta 16-14) → Estación El Dorado → BRT K86 into central Bogotá. Need TuLlave card (buy at station). Runs 05:30-23:00.
Uber/InDrive: 20-40 min depending on traffic, works fine from airport
To Terminal de Transporte: taxi 15-30 min depending on traffic. From there: Villa de Leyva (4hr), Zipaquirá (1.5hr), Tunja (2.5hr)

Bogotá has 3 bus terminals, all connected to the TransMilenio BRT system.

Cali: Alfonso Bonilla Aragón (CLO) — Palmira

Like Medellín, Cali's airport isn't in the city itself. It's in Palmira, 30 minutes east. The route passes through the Peaje Rozo toll (8,900 COP in 2026).

Expreso Palmira bus: to Terminal de Transporte Cali, every 30 min, ~15,000 COP, 40 min ride (toll included)
Taxi to Cali center: 30-40 min, ~60,000-80,000 COP (toll included in fixed rate)
Uber/InDrive: driver may ask you to pay Peaje Rozo toll (8,900 COP) separately
From Cali terminal: Buga (1.5hr), San Cipriano (2hr), Popayán (3hr), Pasto (8hr)

Cartagena: Rafael Núñez (CTG)

One of the easiest airport-to-city transfers in Colombia. The airport is in the Crespo neighborhood, a 15-minute drive from the Old City.

Transcaribe T102 bus: Calle 70 → historic center, 2,500 COP, every 15-20 min, 20 min ride. Need rechargeable card (buy at SuperGIROS shop, corner Calle 70 and Carrera 2). Mon-Sat 05:30-19:00, Sun 07:00-20:00.
Taxi: 25,000-35,000 COP to Old City/Getsemaní
Bus terminal: connections to Santa Marta (4hr) and Barranquilla (2hr)

Santa Marta: Simón Bolívar (SMR)

Taxi to center: 20 min, ~30,000 COP
To Minca: taxi direct from airport 100,000 COP ($25). OR taxi to center (30,000 COP) → colectivo from Mercado Público 10,000 COP. Colectivos run 7am-6pm every 30 min.
To Taganga: from center, taxi 10-15 min
To Palomino: no direct transport from airport. Center → Cootransoriente bus from Carrera 9 / Calle 11, every 15-30 min, 5am-7pm, ~2 hour ride.

Barranquilla: Ernesto Cortissoz (BAQ)

Taxi to center: 25-35 min
Bus terminal connections: Santa Marta (2hr), Cartagena (2hr), Valledupar (4hr)
Less tourist-facing than other coastal cities but a useful connection point for the Caribbean coast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I book a private transfer or figure it out on arrival?

Wing it for most airports. Taxis and colectivos are plentiful, cheap, and safe at official stands. Private transfers only make sense for MDE→Guatapé direct, late-night arrivals after buses stop, or if you have excessive luggage. Booking a $50 transfer when a $7 colectivo does the same job is unnecessary.

Can I take Uber from Colombian airports?

Yes, but drivers often ask you to walk to a pickup zone outside the terminal to avoid airport security who hassle rideshare drivers. This is normal, not a scam. InDrive works the same way. At MDE, the pickup is usually in the parking garage or the road above departures.

How do I get to the bus terminal from the airport?

In most cities, a taxi from airport to bus terminal costs 25,000-40,000 COP and takes 15-30 minutes. In Bogotá you can also use TransMilenio. The bus terminal is where you catch intercity buses to smaller towns.

Is it safe to take taxis at the airport?

Yes. Use the official taxi line outside arrivals — never accept rides from people approaching you inside the terminal. Official airport taxis have fixed rates posted on signs. You do not need to negotiate. Read our common scams guide for more on taxi overcharging tactics.

Do airport buses run 24 hours?

No. Most airport bus services stop between 19:00 and 23:00. If your flight arrives late, plan for a taxi or Uber. The Combuses shuttle from MDE runs until about 22:00.

Should I exchange money at the airport?

Only enough for a taxi (50,000 COP max). Airport exchange rates are 5-10% worse than city rates. Better: withdraw from an ATM in the city, use Nequi (Colombian mobile wallet), or bring small USD bills to exchange at a casa de cambio downtown.

Do I need cash for highway tolls?

If taking Uber or InDrive, yes — drivers will ask you to pay tolls separately in cash. The Túnel de Oriente toll from MDE costs 26,300 COP ($6.80) and the Peaje Rozo from Cali airport costs 8,900 COP ($2.30). Both increased in January 2026. Official taxis and colectivos include tolls in their quoted price. Buses always include tolls in the ticket price.